


Swimming Fools

by lililiyaboy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Flustered Gays, Friends to Lovers, He's adorable, M/M, Mutual Pining, lowkey tsundere boo honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 04:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lililiyaboy/pseuds/lililiyaboy
Summary: Vernon promised to never set his best friend up, but when his boyfriend Wonwoo tells him there's a hot new hire training to be a lifeguard, he can't resist.





	Swimming Fools

It was a regular old humid, summer-y Sunday in Seoul… or so Seungkwan thought.

You see, he had an agreement with his best friend Vernon. In the instance that one was single, the other was not to try to hook them up with anyone. It had happened and ended disastrously before, and they figured they’d better stop while they were ahead and quit interfering in the other’s life unless there was something _extremely_ wrong happening.

They were headed to the pool, towels slung over shoulders and swim trunks in a bag Vernon held in one hand, to visit Vernon’s long-term boyfriend Wonwoo at his job and just, y’know, have a general all-around good time splashing around and cooling off.

What was _not_ supposed to happen was a setup involving Vernon’s cunning Eye-for-Guys and Wonwoo’s help on the inside. What was _also_ not supposed to happen was Seungkwan seeing an attractive, tan, leggy young man sitting atop his perch on a lifeguard’s chair, too conveniently placed near Wonwoo’s as they headed over.

It’s clear the joy Vernon was getting from seeing Seungkwan squirm was directly correlated with the proximity of said excessively long man, and the way Wonwoo kept glancing over to (presumably) gauge Seungkwan’s reaction too, was suspicious. After they exchanged their greetings and kiss, Seungkwan all but dragged Vernon by his shirt collar to the changing rooms, huffing and glaring at him once he got there.

Vernon burst out laughing, doubling over, and Seungkwan smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

“So what’s going on? I thought we had a deal!”

Vernon wipes tears from his eyes, a hand on his knee still as he steadies himself. “We did! We still do!”

“So then how do you explain _him_???”

Vernon snorts again with laughter and almost chokes on his next words, biting his lip to unsuccessfully stave off his smile. “Who?”

Seungkwan smacks him again, harder this time, and Vernon yelps, still mid-laugh.

“Don’t even play stupid, Vernonie. You know exactly who!”

Vernon smiles again, this time with a bit less mischief hinting at the corners of his lips. “I may have pulled some strings, but let it be known: I didn’t set anything up.”

Seungkwan frowns and raises his eyebrow, not buying it.

“Wonu said he had a new coworker who he thought would be your type. I swear, I’m not the one who set this up!”

“You didn’t discourage him though!” Seungkwan nearly yells, and the mischief starts creeping into Vernon’s grin again.

“I didn’t, but I also didn’t directly influence this, so it’s still in the terms of our agreement, is it not?”

“Well…”

“Exactly!” Vernon’s eyes soften.

“Nothing’s in stone yet though! Just because he’s so hot, he might be a mess. We’ll see how his personality stands out.”

“Why don’t you ask him along for snacks or lunch or something with us on his break?”

Seungkwan blushes. “Yeah, see, I don’t think so. You may be the suave kind of gay who’s good with every pretty boy he meets, but I’m not nearly as confident. You ask Wonwoo if he’ll join us, and then we’ll see if he tags along,” he suggests instead, stumbling over his words a little bit.

“You are _so_ whipped for him already, this is gonna be great!” Vernon crows as Seungkwan snatches his swimsuit from him and disappears into a changing stall.

-☽-

Vernon and Seungkwan head out, stopping briefly by Wonwoo’s chair so Vernon can leave him an extra tube of sunscreen in his little bin and give him another kiss. Vernon asks if he’ll join them at concessions on his break, and Wonwoo smiles softly, nodding in earnest. Vernon leans in and whispers something in his ear, and Wonwoo chuckles and nods again, glancing over first at Seungkwan and then at the tan boy. Seungkwan couldn’t hear what was said, but he’s sure it has to do with the hot new guy and having him join them for lunch. Seungkwan glares at Vernon when he’s finished, and is met only with an innocent smile.

They spend about an hour in the pool before the changing of the guard, so to speak; Wonwoo heads to the side, and Seungkwan honestly doesn’t know if he’s ever seen Vernon swim faster than when he does to meet Wonwoo at the edge. Seungkwan rolls his eyes fondly at his best friend, affectionately letting him know how gay he’s being before getting out of the pool himself, shaking the water out of his hair before grabbing a towel.

There’s hurried footsteps suddenly, and Seungkwan can see Wonwoo turn out of the corner of his eye, no doubt about to tell someone off despite, y’know, being on his break; but then he sees who it is who’s running, and his stomach sinks.

The hot guy catches up with them, and apologises for being late (something about the supervisor wanting to see him about his performance so far), slightly out of breath, and Seungkwan eyes him as he slings an arm easily around Wonwoo. His face splits into a breathtakingly gorgeous grin, revealing cute, messy teeth and an insufferably beautiful accent to his already somewhat-prominent, definitely not cute eyebags. If he didn’t already annoyingly occupy Seungkwan’s heart with his puppy-like demeanour and hot bod, the lisp is certainly doing something to drill deeper.

“So did I miss anything?”

“Not a whole lot,” Wonwoo says. “Let me introduce to my friends though, Vernon and Seungkwan! Well, Vernon’s more of my boyfriend actually. Seungkwan’s just a friend who happens to be a boy.”

Wonwoo laughs at his own comment before continuing. ”Vernon, Seungkwan, this is Mingyu. He’s my friend, and I helped him get a job here!”

Vernon whines and pouts playfully about something something him being a boyfriend should take priority over him being mentioned as a friend. Mingyu smiles amicably and rather proudly, and Seungkwan curses his heart internally, not even able to take time to be mock-offended at Wonwoo’s comment for how piercingly beautiful Mingyu’s smile is.

Seungkwan sighs and rolls his eyes as they reach the concessions stands, and Mingyu reminds them helpfully that they shouldn’t eat too much and should wait a short while after eating before jumping back in to swim. Wonwoo laughs again, commending Mingyu for his knowledge and gently reminding him that since they’re here rather often, they probably already know. Mingyu laughs nervously, apologising to them and explaining that he’s still just so happy that he’s got a decent job finally.

They grab some food: nachos for Wonwoo and Vernon to split, Mingyu gets a hot dog, and Seungkwan gets a pretzel with cheese sauce. Seungkwan gags when he sees how much ketchup Mingyu’s putting on his hot dog and Vernon can’t hold back his laughter at Seungkwan’s clear offense.

“What’s wrong with it, Seungkwan?” he asks, a little indignant. “I like ketchup!”

“Mingyu, it’s soaking the bun! How do you live with yourself?”

“This friendship is gonna be wonderful, I can already tell,” Wonwoo snickers through a mouthful of chips, his eyes glued to his phone. Seungkwan glares at him.

“You know, I did come out for a good time today, but really! I’m feeling so attacked!”

“How are you the one feeling attacked when you’re attacking me for my ketchup addiction?” Now it’s Mingyu’s turn to laugh, and Seungkwan finds himself cursing internally for the umpteenth time today at how much he likes Mingyu so far: his laugh, his smile, his lisp, honestly his whole face really, his body, and his personality as far as Seungkwan knows him. Easily indignant, plays with jokes well, and a little too talkative, too easy to get to know.

Seungkwan’s pretty thoroughly fucked.

-☽-

It hits closing time for the pool, and Vernon and Seungkwan start heading home after bidding goodbyes to Wonwoo and Mingyu, hopping on the train and bullshitting about the day, when the inevitable topic of Mingyu the Hot comes up.

“Don’t call him that, Vernonie! It’s embarrassing!”

“It must be true for you though! What do you think of him?” Vernon asks casually.

Seungkwan sighs. “Well, if you MUST know, I think he’s really attractive and it’s a problem. He’s physically cute, and he’s got such a perfect demeanour…”

Vernon can’t stop his smile. “Aaand?”

“What do you mean, ‘aaand?’? There’s not much else to say. I can’t get a properly accurate reading on whether or not we’re gonna be perfect for each other from just one meeting!”

“But you want you two to be perfect for each other, do you not?”

Seungkwan heaves another sigh. “... yeah, I guess I really do. He’s tall, he’s tan, he’s dorky… he really seems wonderful.”

Vernon punches the air excitedly, doing a little dance that’s abruptly ended when Seungkwan elbows him. He pouts, rubbing exaggeratedly at his side as Seungkwan mimics his actions, making sure he didn’t actually hurt his best friend.

“Since you ‘couldn’t get a feel for him’ this time, what say we go to the pool again next Sunday and you can get to know him even better! Wonwoo mentioned he’s got a short shift that day, I bet Mingyu does too! We could grab coffee or something, call it a double date!”

Seungkwan covers his mouth, trying to act mad, but he can’t hold back the giddy giggle that escapes his lips at the prospect of a double date.

“Shouldn’t we work towards building a strong friendship before actually trying to date?”

Vernon stops to think a little. “Yeah, I guess. I hadn’t really thought of that much yet, but it makes sense yeah.”

“So let’s work towards that, hang out as just friends first, then we can... discuss potential double dates.”

-☽-

Wonwoo and Mingyu head out, to their separate homes. Childhood friends, they live fairly close to each other, the bus routes nearly identical.

“So what was the supervisor wanting you in her office for?” Wonwoo asked, eyes closed as he relaxed into the minimal comfort the public metro bus seat could afford him.

“Oh, she just wanted to make sure I was brushed up on emergency protocol, on or off the clock.”

“Okay good. Surprising, honestly, but good. So what did you think of my friend Seungkwan?”

Mingyu laughs nervously. “That’s quite a topic change, Wonu…”

A faint smile plays across Wonwoo’s lips. “Maybe so, but you can’t blame me for being curious. I saw your eyes on him all day in the pool, I’m surprised the supervisor wasn’t calling you in for the distracted behaviour.”

Mingyu blushes.

“So allow me to ask again. What do you think of him?”

“It’s too early to say for sure, I dunno… he’s certainly a cutie, and so fiery,” Mingyu says. “It’s adorable. _He’s_ adorable.”

The faint grin on Wonwoo’s face spreads slowly into a more real smile, and he chuckles. “So you like him?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I _like_ like him yet, but yes, I do like him. He seems nice to hang around, and I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

“Let me pull some strings to get you a short shift next Sunday, and we’ll all grab some food after work, get to know each other better in a less-flustering environment. I know it’s not easy to talk to a friend or even someone new while on work premises, regardless of whether you’re clocked in or not.”

Mingyu notices it’s his stop. “That sounds wonderful,” he says, gathering his things. “Text me though, it’s my time. See you tomorrow!”

Wonwoo nods, already pushing in an earbud and fiddling with his phone.

“Will do, Mingyu. See you.”

-☽-

They’ve reached their store. Vernon opens the door and Seungkwan slips in the door, heading up to the apartment over their jointly-owned thrift/pawn shop. He drops their towels in the hamper, tossing the bag of wet swim trunks on the floor in the bathroom as he turns the hot water to the shower on. He steps under the hot spray after undressing, hearing Vernon banging around in the kitchenette. He feels the water run cold for a split second, yelling out of the shower for Vernon to either warn him if he’s using the water or just wait the ten minutes.

He adjusts the shower head to spray with one of the massage type settings, letting it beat down against his shoulders and scalp and enjoying it greatly. He scrubs himself clean of the chlorine and other chemicals from the pool, hopping out when he’s done and clean and meeting Vernon halfway into stepping into the shower.

This is how it’s always been since they’ve lived together. Their showers are always either together or one hops in nearly the same second the other gets out; the timing has never been more perfect than in moments like this, and Seungkwan is grateful to have a best friend who’s so perfectly in sync with him. He dries off briefly, laying a towel over his shoulders, pulling on a pair of boxers as he wanders into the kitchenette himself, finding a pot of pasta boiling away on the stove.

He stirs idly, checking his phone, and seeing a new text from Wonwoo; it’s Mingyu’s number. He rolls his eyes, adding Mingyu to his contacts, and sending him a text to let him know he’s got it; Mingyu replies almost immediately.

Disgustingly cute.

Seungkwan hears the shower stop and the curtain pull back as he’s draining the pasta in the sink, and he sees Vernon come out a few moments later, in a ratty old comfortable shirt and a similarly worn-in pair of boxers. Seungkwan throws some garlic bread in the toaster, and they dress their pasta: a reheated meat sauce mixed with beef chunks and crumbled parmesan sprinkled on top for Vernon, and simple butter and salt for Seungkwan. They head over to the couch, and Seungkwan flips the TV on, settling on a cartoons channel while they eat; the new episode of Star VS. The Forces of Evil is on, and that’s Vernon’s favourite. Seungkwan doesn’t really pay attention, and they both munch away, Vernon watching with rapt attention and Seungkwan texting Mingyu, who he’s quickly learning has an irritatingly beautiful stash of memes.

They’re content, and happy to live together. Just two best friends getting by together, enjoying life, and entertaining company in the form of a few close friends occasionally during the university year, or Wonwoo whenever Vernon wants him over. Seungkwan is thankfully never sexiled; they’re quiet and private when they do things over at their house in the instance that Seungkwan is in, and Seungkwan’s always been happy to make the after-sex munchies in the instance that the two of them aren’t passed out immediately afterwards.

Seungkwan’s heart flutters, suddenly up in his throat as he thinks that this could eventually include Mingyu coming over, Mingyu sleeping in his bed, Mingyu and him… no, he really shouldn’t think about these things. Not when they’re newly friends.

Vernon yawns, stretching and scratching sleepily at the scruff of hair at the back of his neck, and he leans over Seungkwan’s shoulder, nosey as ever. Seungkwan sighs and laughs softly, telling Vernon that Wonwoo gave him Mingyu’s number, and that they’re talking a bit more. Vernon gives a sleepy “ _yeee,_ ” before getting up, rinsing his dish before setting it in the sink, and Seungkwan mimics his motions him five minutes later, heading to bed himself.

-☽-

A week passes and it’s Sunday now, and they’ve been back to the pool no less than four times, per Seungkwan’s request. It’s certainly not because he was hoping to see that newbie lifeguard again though. You could ask anyone about it, and they’d tell you that plain as day. It’s just coincidence he happened to be there 75% of the time.

In the same vein, it’s also pure coincidence that Seungkwan and Mingyu have had more time to hang out together. Purely coincidental that Wonwoo and Vernon keep goading them to get snacks together, to jump in the pool together, for Mingyu to practice his lifeguard skills on Seungkwan, even. It’s fine. Everything’s fine, and Seungkwan thankfully didn’t fall victim to any botched practices, despite Mingyu’s clumsiness that Seungkwan had quickly acquainted and accustomed himself to.

It’s why they find themselves all gathered at the entrance to the pool at the end of Mingyu’s shift, a towel around his neck collecting the drops from his still-damp hair from when he jumped in right before they left to cool off on their walk down to the local Taco Bell. It’s a double date, but also not. Seungkwan wouldn’t be caught dead on a date with someone his best friend tried to set him up with… right?

They walk down the street, Wonwoo and Vernon leading the group with Mingyu and Seungkwan behind them, and they’re happily engaged in riveting conversation about the newest season of that popular Netflix show, yet all the while, Seungkwan is quiet. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he contemplates the brevity of calling this their first official date, even if it’s a double date. He can’t quite say truthfully that he doesn’t fancy the idea, but if this works out, him and Mingyu would have to move to the next step. Officially calling themselves boyfriends.

 _Boyfriend._ The word resonates in Seungkwan’s mind, and he can’t help but also wonder if Mingyu really reciprocates his feelings. He thinks about it, and there’s still a gnawing doubt in the back of his head, despite the fact that Vernon said earlier that it would be a double date, and the obvious sudden spring to Mingyu’s step and the newfound sparkle in his eyes made it obvious he took a great liking to this idea.

Seungkwan lifts his head, realising he wasn’t paying attention to what was happening around him, and realises he’s a few steps behind the others; jogging to catch up, his hand brushes accidentally against Mingyu’s, and Seungkwan squeaks almost imperceptibly in the back of his throat at the soft skin-on-skin contact. He loses the internal fight with himself to not jerk his hand back, but it’s too late; Mingyu’s noticed his sudden distress, and looks over at him, mild concern clouding his features. He tilts his head, and Seungkwan shakes his own head, mumbling that he’s fine, nothing happened, he just got too caught up with himself and fell behind.

Mingyu grins at him, relief flooding his eyes, and they crinkle so cutely, his hand slipping into Seungkwan’s grasp. Seungkwan gasps, turning his head away quickly, his heart beating way too fast and his emotions surging way too close to being giddy from the sight of that sweet smile and the feeling of Mingyu's sweaty palm against his own. He doesn’t pull his hand away this time though, and he feels Mingyu gently squeeze it, and he’d be lying through his teeth if he’d said his heart didn’t leap a little extra with that.

Seungkwan feels Mingyu tug on his hand a little, and looks over to see they’ve made it to Taco Bell. Vernon giggles, eyeing them from where he's leaned against the entrance, and Wonwoo elbows him in the ribs. Vernon rolls his eyes, and opens the door for everyone, following in after them. They walk up to the counter, and Mingyu takes a moment to peruse the menu, before they all order: Vernon gets the 12-taco box (half soft tacos, half Doritos Locos tacos) and a Baja Blast freeze, Seungkwan orders a 7-layer burrito (no tomato or guac) and fiesta potatoes with cinnamon twists and an iced coffee, Mingyu gets a Nachos Bell Grande with a beef taco and a strawberry freeze, and Wonwoo orders a Mexican pizza with extra cheese, a large Dr. Pepper, and an apple empanada.

It takes a little while, but their food is called and Vernon and Mingyu get up to carry the two overloaded trays of food to their booth. There’s silence for about five minutes as they dig in, nothing but the quiet sounds of chewing and sipping as they munch away. Vernon is the first to speak out of them, having cleared half his box in this time, washing it down with a big gulp of his drink.

“So… you guys seen any good movies lately?”

Seungkwan bursts out laughing, and Wonwoo’s nose crinkles in mirth to match.

“You live with me, you’ve seen everything I have!”

“I’m just trying to diffuse the tension,” Vernon pouts. “You two are so stiff around each other still!”

Wonwoo grabs him in a gentle headlock and gives him a noogie, and Vernon wiggles fruitlessly. Mingyu can’t help but giggle, and Seungkwan curses himself internally because it’s the cutest thing he thinks he’s ever heard.

“We don’t really need an icebreaker, Vernon!” exclaims Seungkwan, his ears tinged red.

“Yeah, this guy provides plenty of entertainment by embarrassing himself constantly,” Wonwoo says, gesturing towards Mingyu, whose ears turn bright pink to match Seungkwan’s as he sputters through a mouthful of nachos, and Wonwoo chuckles as though Mingyu’s proven his point. “Look, it’s like a couple item. Both of them blush with their ears.”

Mingyu scowls, but turns to see Seungkwan hiding his face in his hands, and he can’t help but immediately soften inside at the visual. _God he’s so fucking cute._

“You can’t just call me out like this, Wonwoo!” Mingyu says after hurriedly swallowing down his excessively large bite of food.

Wonwoo smirks. “And why not?”

“You make me look silly!”

“Why would you be conscious of that all of a sudden, Mr. I Break Into Random Dance At The Mall To Embarrass My Hyungs?”

Mingyu flushes, and develops a sudden interest in his drink, accidentally sipping too much too fast and cringing as he gives himself brain freeze, to which Seungkwan can’t quite stifle his giggle fast enough at, taking a big bite of his burrito to help speed that along.

“You shouldn’t be so fast to laugh, Seungkwan,” Vernon pipes up. “If we’re spilling the embarrassing tea on each other, I think Mingyu should know about how you burst into song on the street when we’re sharing headphones and suddenly develop the ability to sing literally every layer of the song at once somehow.”

Seungkwan breaks off a piece of a cinnamon twist and tosses it at Vernon, bare of malicious intent but still carrying a message that he can’t verbalise through his full mouth, along with a death glare. Vernon starts giggling again, dodging the sweet and picking it up off his lap to pop into his mouth, making sure it crunches loudly, and that only seems to strengthen Seungkwan’s scowl.

“Vernon, do you even know the dirt I could uncover on you? How many receipts my phone holds?” Seungkwan asks after he's swallowed, indignance dripping thickly from his voice.

“I’m sure he does, but he’s not the one trying to impress a potential lover, for lack of better terms,” Wonwoo quips calmly, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper, and Vernon bursts out laughing.

Mingyu snorts too, biting his lip too late to cut it short, and Seungkwan can’t bring himself to glare at him quite as strongly as he did with Vernon. There’s such a soft lack of malice, even in a playful manner, that Mingyu possesses, and Seungkwan refuses to answer any further questions about how it possibly maybe made his heart stutter, thanks. If the source was Vernon, he’s lying.

They finish eating with little more incident aside from Seungkwan flinging tiny minced potato bites into Vernon’s mouth across the table much to Mingyu’s delight, and Vernon stealing Wonwoo’s empanada, who claims he bought it for his boyfriend anyways and “it’s what the universe intended, thanks.”

-☽-

They walk out after a good time of eating and talking, and it’s significantly later than they expected, the sun setting on the horizon down the street into the buildings. Vernon stretches his arms over his head once they hit the outside air, making an offhand comment about how full he is, and Seungkwan doubles over.

“Even Mingyu needed a doggie bag, how did you fit 12 tacos, an empanada, and a whole large freeze with a refill in you?” Wonwoo asks incredulously, patting at Vernon’s belly as the latter raises his shirt.

Vernon shrugs. “I was hungry. Swimming takes a lot out of me, I guess.”

He yelps as Wonwoo drags him into a hug with a kiss to the top of his head.

“Careful, just because it all fits doesn’t mean I lack volatility!”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes. “You and your big words. I’d say you’re hanging around Wonwoo too much, but there’s a reason there that you would.”

“Yeah, there certainly is.” Vernon shoots Seungkwan a cheeky grin, wiggling his eyebrows. “You could also say that Wonwoo gives me a lot of... _incentive_ , shall we say, to adopt his crazy vocabulary.”

“Get a room, you two!” Mingyu says, fake gagging as Vernon cackles.

“Don’t tell them that, they’ll fuck on my bed again!” Seungkwan wails despairingly, dramatically jumping on Mingyu’s back and clapping a hand over his mouth.

Wonwoo whistles, and Mingyu turns back to give Seungkwan a sympathetic look, lifting him up a bit onto his back for a piggyback ride, and Vernon pouts, having sat down on one of the café-style tables to rest for a moment.

“Why don’t you ever give me piggyback rides, Wonwoo?” he whines.

“I neither recall you ever asking nor boldly climbing me like a tree as Seungkwan has done here with Mingyu, Vernonie,” Wonwoo replies, much to Seungkwan’s protest, the corner of his mouth twitching up as a smile threatens to creep across his sharp features. “Would you like one?”

“Yes please, Wonwoo~” Vernon says, childishly making grabby hands in Wonwoo’s direction, and the elder can’t help but laugh fondly. He kneels in front of Vernon’s seat, and Vernon flops forward, latching onto him like a koala would to a tree. Mingyu lets out an exaggerated “aww~” and Vernon points threateningly at him.

All is good. Seungkwan is surprised by how strong Mingyu is, but he supposes he shouldn’t be; you have to be some amount of strong to be a lifeguard. Wonwoo proves that anyways, even though he looks like a scrawny egg noodle most of the time he’s definitely no pushover, and from what Vernon tells Seungkwan when they get a little too carried away with the alcohol, it’s a pretty good time.

Seungkwan shudders at the memory, grinning and shaking his head, and perching his chin on Mingyu’s shoulders as he hefts Seungkwan up a little more comfortably before the four set off down the street back to the now-closed pool. Wonwoo had driven to work, and left his car there in favour of walking to the restaurant with his friends, and offers everyone a ride home, with a resounding, yet tired, cry of assent from the gallery.

They pile in, Vernon securing shotgun as he always does and promptly passing out in a thicc food coma, and Mingyu and Seungkwan get in the back while Wonwoo starts it up. Wonwoo looks back at them, a note of concern knitting his brows together.

“I know it’s probably weird of me to ask this the way I will, but Seungkwan, are you gonna go home or do you want to stay at Mingyu’s place?”

Seungkwan blinks, a little taken aback. “Uh…”

“The reason I ask is because I plan on staying at your place regardless of your answer, and I want to know who I’m dropping off first. I know how Vernonie is with his eating habits, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying a bit every time he does this.”

“I uh. I guess I’ll go home with Mingyu then? Consolidate it a little bit and make it easier on your gas tank so it’s a one and done…”

Wonwoo sighs softly, gratitude clear in his eyes. Vernon’s already snoring softly, and Mingyu leans forward to grab the bar and tilt his seat back a little bit, easing the angle of his head so his breath comes easier in his sleep.

Wonwoo backs out of the parking lot, turning the radio to a classical station run by the local and keeping the volume low as he plugs Mingyu’s address into the GPS.

The drive is peaceful once they find the on-ramp, and Mingyu scoots a little closer to Seungkwan in the back seat when they’re at speed, who takes the opportunity to lean his head gently onto Mingyu’s shoulder. The highway lights slide over them gently, as weightless as Seungkwan feels while he's sharing Mingyu’s space. A Mingyu who still has chlorine-soaked hair, a little stringy and still slightly damp from earlier despite all efforts made to dry it, a Mingyu who’s warm and tan and soft-skinned and who’s reaching for the hand offered to him with both of his own, and Seungkwan thinks about what a big fucking liar he is to himself, and how much delight he’s gonna see on Vernon’s face if Wonwoo tells him about this.

Seungkwan thinks about texting him when they get to Mingyu’s place to keep it a secret, but a part of him in the back of his mind wants to see the elation, despite the agreement they’d had. He may hate admitting his best friend is right, but his love for seeing his best friend happy trumps that in almost any comparative situation.

It’s not long before they’re off the highway and Wonwoo’s navigating Mingyu’s neighbourhood, and even shorter of a time before they’re pulling into the driveway of Mingyu’s apartment complex. They grab their bags and thank Wonwoo for the ride, and Seungkwan thanks Wonwoo doubly for taking care of Vernon; Wonwoo knows Seungkwan can’t handle vomit whatsoever, and with how much Vernon ate, there’s likely to be an occurrence of it when he wakes up. No matter how much food your stomach can handle, there is indeed a limit when it comes to greasy fast food, and your body will protest as loud as it can.

Mingyu leads Seungkwan into the building and up a flight of stairs as Wonwoo drives off with a honk goodbye, and he unlocks the door. He’s sheepish, asking for Seungkwan’s understanding and apologising for the mess because he wasn’t intending guests, but Seungkwan’s in love with the place as soon as he steps foot inside. Kicking off his shoes, he follows Mingyu further in, crossing the living room into the bathroom to hang up their towels. Seungkwan digs in his bag, and his ears burn as he realises he grabbed the wrong bag when he left the house this morning; he has no change of clothes.

“It’s okay, if you don’t mind it a little oversized you can borrow some of my stuff,” Mingyu says, heading to his bedroom as Seungkwan sits quietly on the edge of the tub.

He comes back with a pair of grey sweats and an old Atari graphic tee that looks like it’d come down to his knees, and leaves again, closing the door behind him and giving Seungkwan some privacy as he goes to turn on the air con and put their leftovers away. Seungkwan turns the faucet on, and it squeaks a little; he finds it kind of cute, and he’s not sure why.

 _There’s something about such a perfect guy, living in this imperfect place_.

His thoughts wander vaguely as he splashes his face with the cool water, briefly dunking his head to wet his hair properly and grabbing a bit of Mingyu’s shampoo to wash the chlorine from his hair. He scrubs till his hair squeaks a little, reminiscent of the faucet handle, and he rinses it out, grabbing a small towel and covering his head with it to prevent too much water from transferring to the shirt Mingyu gave him as he changes into the warm, dry clothes. He hangs his pool clothes on the bar holding Mingyu’s shower curtain up, wanting them to dry completely by tomorrow before he heads home.

Seungkwan takes a deep breath, bracing himself for what, he doesn’t know, before opening the bathroom door and stepping out into the living room. He sees Mingyu on the couch, who turns at the sound and smiles softly at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling with it. Seungkwan can’t even hide it anymore, and he swallows, averting his gaze to the floor as a smile of his own spreads across his face as he walks over to the back of the couch.

“I draped my clothes on your shower bar, I hope you don’t mind that,” Seungkwan says, gesturing towards the bathroom.

“Not at all,” Mingyu replies. “That’s always where I put them, it keeps things from getting wet and gross and dries them out pretty quick.”

Seungkwan sighs with relief. “Finally, someone who understands! Vernon always calls me weird for putting my clothes up there, he puts his across the side of the tub.”

“That doesn’t dry them fast enough though, doesn’t he shower after he hits the pool?”

“Yeah, he does, but apparently the shower water is ~different~ from pool water somehow, and it’s fine if they get damp or wet from that kind of water. It’s almost like he thinks it doesn’t count as water.”

Mingyu giggles, a high pitched sound that Seungkwan still is in disbelief of coming from him, but that he absolutely wants to hear more of. He stands up from the couch, stretching a little, and Seungkwan sees a little bit of his tummy as he does so, and he can feel his ears start to burn again. Thankfully, Mingyu doesn’t seem to notice as he walks to the bathroom.

“I’m gonna ‘freshen up’, as the cool kids say,” Mingyu says. “I need this chlorine out of my hair, I think I’ll shower. Sorry to leave you alone for a bit, but please make yourself at home, really.”

He disappears into the bathroom, and Seungkwan hears the click of the lock, and laughs quietly to himself. _Mingyu is so shy_ , he thinks.

_How can someone so lovely, so outgoing, be so shy?_

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes it out as he swings around the side of the couch to sit down and get comfortable. It’s a text from Wonwoo; they got home safe, and Vernon is doing okay for now.

Seungkwan texts him a quick thank you, and tells Wonwoo to keep him updated on Vernon’s condition. Sometimes the Taco Bell food coma in the car is a good sign, but more often than not it leads to a distressing literal shitfest for the next day. Wonwoo says he’s glad he’s got the day off tomorrow, and Seungkwan nods to himself in agreement before putting his phone back down on the arm of the couch and grabbing the remote laying on the coffee table.

He pulls up Netflix, and peeks through Mingyu’s watched section. To his delight, he sees a lot of animated cartoons, and a lot of documentaries. He pulls up a newly added movie that he sees Mingyu has already watched but he himself hasn’t seen, and settles in. The couch is extremely comfortable, and with the low sound from the TV and the sound of the shower echoing in the bathroom behind him, he’s finding it very hard to stay focused and awake. He figures he should turn some lights out if he’s gonna fall asleep, and gets up to go turn the hall light and one of the floor lamps off. On his way he spots a blanket and grabs it, heading back to the couch and lying comfortably on his side to continue watching the movie with his head propped up on the arm as he pulls the blanket around himself and curls up, letting himself drift off with the faint scent of Mingyu’s cologne wafting up to his nose from the blanket.

When Mingyu walks out of the bathroom, he sees Boss Baby on the TV and a sleeping Seungkwan on the couch, and he sighs softly and contently, grabbing another blanket and covering Seungkwan’s lower half as he’s stretched himself out. He turns the lights off and exits the movie, turning the TV off as well before plugging Seungkwan’s phone in with his own charger and laying it on the coffee table instead of the arm of the couch. He also places a couple of pillows within reach of Seungkwan in case he wakes up and wants one before finally heading to his bedroom, leaving the door ajar and turning his lights low before crawling into bed himself. He knows he’s gonna wake up sore in the morning from that piggyback ride, but it’s worth it, he thinks.

It’s definitely worth it.

-☽-

Seungkwan stirs on the couch, sunlight streaming through Mingyu’s thin curtains and into his face, warm and inviting against the chill of the air con blowing on him. He shudders, squeezing his eyes shut tighter, and curls up more under the blankets, content to lay there for another while longer. He shifts, getting the shine out of his eyes, before reaching blindly above his head for his cellphone. His eyes fly open when he doesn’t feel it, and he twists around, blinking through the sudden cloud-filtered brightness that he wasn’t expecting.

He sees his phone lying on the table in front of him as he goes to look around the side to see if it had fallen off of the arm of the couch, and reaches for it, unplugging it from the charger that Mingyu hooked it up to last night, and something nags at the back of his mind how cute it is that Mingyu took the time to not only put his phone somewhere safer but also made sure it was charged.

He checks the time -- somehow it’s only 11 in the morning -- and then his texts, seeing one from Vernon and three from Wonwoo, recanting last night’s events in his inbox: Vernon got super queasy in the middle of the night, and texted him asking where he was, and Wonwoo said he reassured Vernon and helped calm his belly with some Tums, even if he still spewed a bit. Seungkwan sighed, a pang of worry gnawing in his stomach, and he texts Wonwoo, letting him know he just woke up and to tell Vernon he was with Mingyu if he hadn’t already.

Seungkwan hears a creak behind him, and turns around, seeing a sleepy Mingyu stretching in the doorway to his bedroom. He catches another glimpse of his tummy as Mingyu’s rumpled shirt pulls up from the stretch, and he takes the opportunity to turn around so he can sit up properly, hiding his expression from Mingyu, as he’s sure it’s nothing short of a little thirsty.

“You sleep okay last night, Seungkwanie?” Mingyu asks, his voice a little rough from sleep.

“Yeah, I was out like a light,” Seungkwan replies, allowing himself a leisurely stretch as Mingyu joins him on the couch. “Sorry I wasn’t able to stay up long enough.”

Mingyu laughs. “Don’t worry about it.”

The two sit there for a moment, dicking around on their phones, before Mingyu grabs the TV remote and brings up Netflix.

“You can flick around, I’ll make us a little something for breakfast, how’s that sound?”

Seungkwan nods, appreciative that Mingyu would go to such lengths, but he figures neither of them really want Taco Bell leftovers for breakfast if it can be helped.

Mingyu gets up and heads into the kitchenette, and Seungkwan stays sitting there, absorbed in the warmth of everything in the brief moment that the air con is on its off cycle. He picks his head up off the back after a moment, taking the remote and browsing through for something to put on in the background. He finds a random episode of some American cartoon and puts it on, standing and stretching again before turning around to join Mingyu in the kitchenette.

Mingyu turns briefly and catches his eye, and he smiles happily, and Seungkwan has to avert his gaze, his ears burning; he wonders to himself if he’ll ever get used to that gorgeous face.

“Hey, did you hear what I said?”

“Huh?” Seungkwan snaps out of his brief reverie, lifting his eyes back to Mingyu’s face.

“I said, there should be a thing of eggs in the fridge, do you mind getting it out for me?”

“Oh,” Seungkwan replies dumbly. “Yeah, I can get that for you, sorry.”

Mingyu smiles again, softer this time. “I’d get it myself, but…” he trails off, gesturing to the frying pan he has on the stove top, and Seungkwan smells before he sees all the different little cubed veggies and meats Mingyu seems to be stir-frying.

Seungkwan goes to grab the eggs, and realises that when he closes the fridge that it’s gotten a little bit dark. He places the eggs on the counter by Mingyu, internally questioning whether a light went out; he goes to turn on one of the lamps in the living space to allow for a little more light in their area. Curious, he heads over to the window, sliding a curtain back and peering up at the clouds gathering.

“Hey, you didn’t have a shift today, did you?”

“Nope,” Mingyu says, sounding suspiciously like he’s got a bite of something in his mouth. “Why do you ask?”

Seungkwan gestures vaguely towards the window as he heads back in. “It’s looking a bit like rain outside. I know you commute with public transport, but if you don’t have work, then we won’t have a mad dash for the train if it pours, y’know?”

Mingyu laughs. “Yeah, I’ve had my fair share of that before. I fit in regardless of if it rains or not though, work attire is just board shorts and optional shirt.”

 _Optional?_ Seungkwan thinks back, and realises he hasn’t seen Mingyu shirtless. Lots of short-sleeve button downs and tank tops, but never actual shirtlessness. He sighs, shaking his head lightly to clear his head; he shouldn’t be entertaining these kinds of thoughts right now.

Seungkwan turns his attention to Mingyu’s cooking, watching as he cracks the eggs on the side of the pan before letting them fall in and mingle with the sizzling food within, doing it twice more before grabbing a spatula and mixing everything together before the egg solidifies too much.

“You ever had an everything omelette, Seungkwan?” Mingyu asks, letting the egg bubble for a moment before flipping it.

Seungkwan thinks for a moment. “No, I don’t think I have, but that’s mostly because I’m not a huge fan of _everything_ on something. Everything tends to include tomatoes, and those aren’t something I consider valid.”

“I remember yesterday you stating twice that you didn’t want them anywhere near your burrito,” Mingyu says with a snort. “That’s why I didn’t put any in here.”

Seungkwan can feel himself melting a little inside, and decides to exert this sudden burst of emotion and energy into searching the cabinets for a couple plates as Mingyu turns the heat off and cuts the omelette in half. Mingyu lifts each half out onto a plate, and takes one from Seungkwan, producing a pair of forks from god knows where as he leads Seungkwan back into the living room, pulling the coffee table a little closer to the couch and setting his plate down. He heads back to the fridge as Seungkwan sits down, grabbing a couple bottles of water, and Seungkwan thanks him as he unscrews the cap and takes a couple gulps, not realising how physically thirsty he was until then.

He shakes his head, his brow furrowing as he drinks it too fast, the cold shocking his palate and giving him minor brain freeze, and Mingyu giggles at him.

“Is that payback then for yesterday?”

“Yeah, I’ll count it as that, why not.”

They dig in, and there’s a sudden flash from the windows as Mingyu turns the volume on the TV up a little bit, some episode of Phineas and Ferb up. Thunder rumbles their ears a few seconds later, and Mingyu flinches; he finishes his bite a little too quick as the rain starts to come down, almost choking on his food as he takes another sip of water to wash it down.

“Everything alright?” Seungkwan asks, worry clouding his eyes, and Mingyu nods, sighing softly.

“Yeah, sorry. I get startled kind of easy when it comes to storms.”

Seungkwan chews thoughtfully. “These big bay windows probably don’t help... have you ever thought of getting blackout curtains?”

Mingyu shrugs through another mouthful of omelette as Seungkwan stands to draw the curtains. “It doesn’t really bother me much. Just an occasional startle, y’know? Besides, I’d rather see that slight flash and brace myself for the impending thunder, instead of being quite literally in the dark and ending up even more surprised, especially if it’s super loud.”

Seungkwan nods sympathetically. If there’s one thing he’s understanding on, it’s coping mechanisms to odd fears.

They sit and watch the antics on screen for awhile, and Seungkwan leans into Mingyu after they both have finished, breathing him in. Mingyu fake yawns and puts his arm around Seungkwan, and Seungkwan shoves him, giggling too hard for it to even carry a message. Mingyu grins, squeezing his shoulder, and Seungkwan wiggles comfortably back into his hold.

 

There’s another rumble of thunder, this time a little louder, gently rattling Mingyu’s cup against the glass of the table, and Seungkwan can feel Mingyu squeeze him a little tighter when it happens. He’s struck with a sudden idea.

“Hey, Mingyu, do you have any games?”

Mingyu blinks, and looks down at Seungkwan, a little confused, and Seungkwan sits up a bit, grabbing the remote to the TV, flipping through the inputs.

“Do you have like, co-op games or anything? Mario games, hell even Call of Duty or something. Something we can do together, since we’re stuck in here till the storm ends.”

Mingyu nods, retreating to his bedroom and coming back out with his Switch. “Do you like Kirby? I have the newest game, just got it a week ago and I haven’t started it yet.”

Seungkwan’s face lights up, and Mingyu swears the soft spot inside him that’s formed for Seungkwan mushes up even more.

“Kirby is my favourite Nintendo franchise! I’ve seen some gameplay on it, but I haven’t played it myself,” he replies, excitement audible in his voice. “There’s a surprise after the first world, I think you’ll love it.”

-☽-

They spend a few hours playing the game, and it helps ease Mingyu’s nerves about the storm immensely. Seungkwan is a pretty nifty Player 2, adopting the right powers at the right times, and teaching Mingyu a few simple mechanics ahead of time, which Mingyu finds especially helpful during the Whispy Woods fight.

When they wrap it up, Seungkwan checks the time on his phone, and whistles.

“What is it?” Mingyu asks as he docks his Switch on the charger.

“It’s almost five, damn.”

Mingyu gets up and stretches his arms, and Seungkwan can neither confirm nor deny how long his gaze lingered on Mingyu’s bicep just then. He busies himself instead with taking their dishes to the sink and rinsing them before grabbing another couple bottles of water from the fridge.

They settle back in on the couch, and Mingyu brings up the YouTube app on his phone.

“Who was it that you were watching do the playthrough of Kirby?”

Seungkwan shrugs as he swallows his water. “I don’t remember. I just saw a bit of the first world in a compilation, I think it was back from E3 last year.”

“Man, you remembered those details all the way till now?” Mingyu says, incredulous.

“Yeah, I can’t help it. I love Kirby a lot, what can I say?”

Seungkwan’s phone buzzes, and he picks it up, checking his notifications and gasping.

“What is it?” Mingyu asks, leaning over and trying to peek.

“Overwatch League, the New York Excelsior just went live against the Dallas Fuel,” Seungkwan exclaims. “I gotta see this match, I forgot they were playing today!”

“You can broadcast it if you want,” Mingyu says.

“Can you cast Twitch to your TV?”

“I’m sure we can find a way.”

They fool around with the settings for a couple minutes before Seungkwan gives up, and Mingyu helps him find a proxy stream somewhere else. They set it up, and Mingyu’s curious about Overwatch; he’s seen it mentioned, and seen it publicised in ads sometimes, but never actually played it. He asks Seungkwan some questions, as it seems the stage is still in pre-game mode, and Seungkwan happily answers him; once the game starts, he’s a little more halted in his answers, paying more attention to the TV than to Mingyu’s questions at times, and Mingyu finds it wildly endearing. Seungkwan is so excited about this in the way that people get really into sports, and now it’s Mingyu’s turn to lie about how adorable he finds Seungkwan.

His phone buzzes as Seungkwan’s engrossed in the kill feeds and whatnot, and he looks down; he’s got a text from Wonwoo. _Everything okay? Haven’t heard from you guys all day since Seungkwan woke up._

Mingyu texts him back quickly, looking up occasionally at the TV to watch _“another sick takedown by Saebyeolbe!”_ as he types. _Yeah, everything’s fine. Did the storm hit you guys too? We’ve stayed inside all day._

It’s barely a minute before Mingyu’s phone buzzes in his lap again. _Yeah, we got like the tail end of it. Vernon’s doing loads better, but the whole floor reeks like shit. We opened some windows, but let Seungkwan know he’s probably gonna have to air it out properly after the ass-blasting Vernon’s put it through._

Mingyu snickers at that comment, and Seungkwan looks over at him.

“What’s up?” he asks distractedly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Wonwoo’s texting me, and he says you’re probably gonna wanna bring nose plugs and an industrial fan to get the smell out.

Seungkwan wrinkles his nose. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, happens every couple months. Just glad I’m not there to face the brunt of it.”

Mingyu’s phone buzzes again, and Seungkwan turns his attention back to the TV, yelping as he realises Dallas has taken the second point already past New York’s defence. _You holding up okay with your mans?_

Mingyu snorts. _Yeah, everything’s been going okay. He’s so fucking cute, Wonwoo: not only is he a gamer, but he also likes all my animated stuff that I watch. He’s a giant nerd. What am I supposed to do?_

Mingyu’s surprised at how fast the next text comes in, until he sees the words he’d been dreading.

_Kiss him, idiot._

-☽-

The night progresses uneventfully, with that text lingering in the back of Mingyu’s mind the whole while. He finds himself fixating on Seungkwan’s lips more often, and finds himself having to blink and turn his gaze away or to the TV when Seungkwan looks over at him excitedly as more happens in the game on the screen.

After the games conclude, Seungkwan turns the TV off, stretching out his legs off the couch and standing up to stretch a bit more. Mingyu follows suit, not quite sure why, and Seungkwan grabs his phone before flopping back down on the couch, and Mingyu continues standing, feeling a little awkward.

“Are there any places to get food around here?” Seungkwan asks idly, tapping away at his phone. “It’s only nine, we still have an hour or so whether we want takeout or anything.”

Mingyu struggles to think, suddenly conveniently forgetting every restaurant in a five mile radius. “Uhhh…”

“Ooh, wait!” Seungkwan says excitedly, jabbing at his phone and standing to shove it in Mingyu’s face. “There’s a convenience store just down the street. They’re 24/7 and they’ve got those ramen machines!”

“I mean, I wouldn’t object,” Mingyu says. “I’d prefer to eat my leftovers, but if you want we can go get you some ramen.”

Seungkwan’s face lights up and Mingyu melts a little inside.

“Let’s go get ready then!”

Two hoodies and a just-in-case umbrella later, they set out, and Seungkwan finds the idea of holding Mingyu’s hand a bit easier this time around. Maybe it’s because he’s in an unfamiliar area, one where Mingyu is thankfully familiar, and maybe it’s because he’s really fucking gay, but if you ask, you’re getting the former explanation as an answer and nothing else.

The store is only a block or so away, and the ramen is set on a display at the front for simple access. Seungkwan picks out a deluxe, garlicky flavour with a lot of spice, and Mingyu insists on paying for it in a way that makes Seungkwan a little fluttery inside. They head out to the prep station, and Seungkwan puts the water on to boil.

Mingyu comes up behind him, casually looking over Seungkwan’s shoulder as he times the boil on his phone, and Seungkwan jolts slightly, squeaking softly at the sudden presence behind him.

“Is that not okay?” Mingyu asks worriedly, backing away almost immediately. “I’m sorry, I should have asked first…”

“N-No, it’s okay, you’re fine!” Seungkwan finds himself tripping over his words in his rushed effort to comfort Mingyu. “It just… surprised me, is all. Really, it’s okay.”

Mingyu blinks as Seungkwan turns around, confused but a little relieved that he seemed so okay with it. He steps forward again, tentatively slipping his arms around Seungkwan’s middle and resting them in the pocket of the hoodie he lent him. Seungkwan sighs, feeling warm and content, and Mingyu feels a rush of light giddiness he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Seungkwan completely forgets about the timer, stashing his phone in his pocket and taking care of his ramen, setting the timer on the heater for three minutes and leaning back against Mingyu’s chest comfortably as he waits for the noodles to soften. It rings all too soon, and it’s sharp in their ears as they separate from their reverie and Seungkwan collects his ramen. He takes it to the sink, draining a bit of the broth before dumping the flavour packets in so they’re more potent, before heading back over to get some chopsticks to stir and eat it with.

They head outside, and it’s starting to sprinkle a little. Mingyu gets his umbrella ready as Seungkwan stands under the awning, and they each take their stuff in one hand and thread their fingers together on the walk home. When they get home, Mingyu struggles to find his keys in his pockets while Seungkwan takes the umbrella, giggling a little bit as Mingyu curses and pats himself down to find them. They get in eventually, and Seungkwan hands his ramen to Mingyu before turning to shake the umbrella out, knocking the tip of it gently against the stone path to get the majority of the water out before following Mingyu inside to dry warmth.

Seungkwan sets the umbrella in the foyer, kicking his shoes off after shutting the door, and sees Mingyu’s put his ramen on the coffee table and is currently bent over in front of the fridge, digging his Taco Bell out from the depths. He sticks it in the microwave for a minute, taking a second to breathe, and he looks over at Seungkwan, who’s currently shucking off his hoodie. He watches Seungkwan struggle for a second, trying not to focus on how his shirt pulls up over his cute tummy and trying instead to focus on how adorable it is that Seungkwan struggles so much with clothing two sizes larger than he’s used to.

They settle back in on the couch, food in hand (and at acceptable eating temperatures), and turn the TV on once more for some background noise. Mingyu picks the content this time, and soon he’s got a few videos queued up for Super Mario Maker expert runs.

Seungkwan mumbles appreciatively through a mouthful of noodles, and Mingyu giggles at him, earning a playful glare. They eat mostly in silence, and Mingyu finds it extremely endearing that Seungkwan is so reactive to what’s happening on the screen: jumping up slightly from his seat, shaking his fist when something’s close, and even grunting or exclaiming when something doesn’t quite go right.

Mingyu finishes eating before Seungkwan, and goes to throw his trash out and grab a bag of chips since he’s not yet full. Seungkwan laughs, and Mingyu gets flustered.

“What’s wrong with barbecue flavoured popcorn?” Mingyu asks, mildly offended.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Seungkwan waves through a mouthful of ramen, swallowing it before continuing his train of thought. “Not what I expected from you.”

Mingyu crunches a couple hulls extra loud, and Seungkwan laughs even harder.

“Careful, buddy, you might choke on those spicy noodles of yours,” Mingyu warns.

“Yeah, lucky for me I’m sitting next to someone trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.”

Mingyu scoffs. “How do you figure that?”

“If I choke on these _spicy_ noodles, will you, an apparent spicy anti, promise to do mouth-to-mouth if it means reviving me?” Seungkwan chuckles, finishing another bite before reaching for his soda.

Mingyu takes a deep breath, steeling himself before replying. “I don’t know. Let’s find my tolerance, shall we?”

He takes the plunge, leaning forward and touching his lips to Seungkwan’s, who nearly spills his soda on himself. Mingyu lingers for a second before withdrawing, almost having gone too far forward and ending up falling unceremoniously in Seungkwan’s lap, and he can feel Seungkwan’s stare burning into him, suddenly finding the back of the popcorn bag very interesting.

“That’s neither a good way about finding whether you can tolerate my dragon breath nor is it a good idea for a first kiss, Kim Mingyu, and you know it!” Seungkwan cries, trying to sound stern and failing to keep the giddiness and smile out of his voice. He takes a sip of his soda before downing another big bite of ramen, and, with his ears on fire, crawls forward and makes Mingyu look at him before leaning in for his own try at their first kiss.

It’s softer, chaste and more coordinated this time, but Mingyu can feel the slight burn at his lips as Seungkwan scoots a little closer, bringing a hand to the nape of Mingyu’s neck as he pulls away. Mingyu blinks and looks at him, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and Seungkwan can feel the last of the tsundere bullshit he’d been harbouring for this long crumbling away, letting his heart feel warm under Mingyu’s attention. He presses his face to Mingyu’s shoulder, and Mingyu takes that moment where he’s not being seen to let the smile take over his face, sure he looks like an idiot with this huge dorky grin that hurts his cheeks, but he really doesn’t care.

They sit like this for a moment before Seungkwan pulls back up and away from Mingyu, leaning over to get his ramen and making a comment about how he’s still not quite finished eating and to give him another moment before they start snuggling again, and Mingyu doesn’t mind one bit. He steals a sip of Seungkwan’s soda, and fake gags when he tastes the Sprite, claiming that 7-Up is better, and Seungkwan hits him on the thigh, talking about how he can’t be seen with Mingyu anymore.

After they’re finished and they’ve cleaned their trash, Seungkwan flops down on the couch.

“So that happened,” Mingyu remarks, still glowing from it.

“You’re damn right it did!”

“Does this make us boyfriends yet?”

Seungkwan sits up. “If this doesn’t make us boyfriends, I really don’t know what actually will, but if it doesn’t, I’m gonna have to like double my efforts here or something.”

Mingyu laughs, a little relieved. “I thought I was the only one here who was super thirsty for that title, but it’s comforting to know I wasn’t alone.”

Seungkwan scoffs incredulously.

“Are you kidding? You can go ask Vernon, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to tell you loads about how he’s been ‘reading’ me for the past week or two and how he’s just _known_ in his gut that we’d be together in no time.”

Mingyu shakes his head, grinning. “Oh, Vernon…”

He sits down on the couch, pulling Seungkwan into his lap, and Seungkwan yelps, squirming briefly to get comfortable before settling in.

“I tell you what, a guy could really get used to this,” Seungkwan says.

“Yeah? A _gyu_ could get used to this too,” Mingyu says, his giggle bubbling up in his throat before he can stop it.

“That’s not even that great, Mingyu,” Seungkwan groans. “You could get _gyu_ sed to it, I think you mean.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Since when are you a connoisseur of puns?”

“Too much time spent around Wonwoo. Way too much time.”

Wonwoo. That’s right, Mingyu was supposed to text him. Mingyu pulls Seungkwan up on his lap for a selfie, and lets Seungkwan turn back on his side before sending it to Wonwoo. _Ayy lmao, what was that about a kiss again?_

_Only took you what, eight hours to do? Nerd._

Mingyu pouts. _Hey, at least I still did it!_

And do it he did indeed.

-☽-

**Author's Note:**

> this is the longest fucking thing i've ever written, enjoy <3
> 
> there's more to come i iust couldnt put it to the deadline! scenarios include more pool shenanigans and eventual peen touchin


End file.
